3.22 lakh NOTA votes cast in this Assembly elections

As many as 3.22 lakh NOTA (None Of The Above) votes were cast in the recently held Assembly elections, accounting for 0.9% of the total votes polled. During the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka had accounted for 2.57 lakh NOTA votes.

The data from the Election Commission reveals that some political parties including Bahujan Samaj Party and Communist Party of India have received more NOTA votes than the actual votes in their favour. Bengaluru South Assembly constituency has recorded the highest NOTA votes of 15,829. M Krishnappa of the BJP, R K Ramesh of the Congress and R Prabhakar Reddy of the JD(S) were in the fray in this segment. Krishnappa won the elections. As many as 63,639 voters in Bengaluru city have opted for NOTA.

The NOTA votes exceeded the victory margin in nine constituencies - Badami, Gadag, Devarahippargi, Hirekerur, Kundgol, Maski, Aland, and Pavagada. Badami, where former chief minister Siddaramaiah won by a margin of 1,696 votes against B Sriramulu of the BJP, recorded 2007 NOTA votes - in excess of the victory margin.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), in a report, said that NOTA was exercised the most in “red alert” constituencies, where three or more candidates have a criminal background.

In its recommendation, ADR says that fresh elections should be conducted in constituencies where NOTA votes are a little above 50% of the total votes polls. “In the fresh elections, only a candidate who gets at least 50%+1 of the total votes cast should be declared elected,” it suggests.